1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of food preparation devices and aids and more particularly to devices for anchoring or holding a wide variety of food items to each other or together such as skewers for food preparation and kabobs.
2. Prior Art
The use of skewers for the purposes of holding or anchoring foods or the like to each other or together is very helpful in the preparation of food items such as entrees. Such skewers are used to hold meats or vegetables in place during cooking, as well as to skewer meat and vegetables together to be grilled for kabobs. As maintaining the position of food items or garnishes during cooking can be of paramount importance, especially in the preparation of expensive entrees or other dishes, the use of skewers has become prevalent in the food service industry.
Combinations of foods that can be combined using skewers are numerous and often selected so that these foods compliment each other in taste. Such combinations can consist exclusively of meats, vegetables, or fruits, or can consist of any combinations thereof. Meats that can be used with skewers include for example beef tenderloin, partially fried and rolled up bacon slices, pieces of boneless chicken or turkey breast, pork cubes, ham cubes, lamb cubes, small meatballs, pieces of sausage, shrimp, scallops and other seafood chunks. To complement such meats, other foods can be cooked with the meats, including for example onions, zucchini or other summer squash, green, red or yellow peppers, carrots, small whole potatoes, fresh mushrooms, and firm cherry tomatoes. The combinations of foods that can be used with skewers are limitless.
Skewers in general are old in the art and range from simple sharpened rods to complex multi-component devices. U.S. Pat. No. 504,777 to Fischer discloses a skewer for closing fowl comprising a central stem that is formed by twisting two pieces of wire together, one of which is provided with a loop, and is used for closing fowl after the fowl has been filled (with stuffing, etc.). U.S. Pat. No. 1,113,929 to Brown discloses a meat clamp or skewer for securely retaining wrapped or rolled meat and that includes a straight shank formed with a flat pointed head having sharpened edges and an angular stop shoulder at the inner end of the head, with an enlarged handle, and with a compressible tension spring coiled about the shank.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,404,166 to Danilla discloses a device for use in roasting poultry that is a one-piece metallic structure with a sinusoidal shank that terminates at one end in a point and in a head shape at the other end. U.S. Pat. No. 2,622,268 to Glantzlin discloses a flat wooden holder or skewer that has a uniform thickness, has sides tapered along to a wedge-like tip and appears to have a structure that may help prevent rotation and may help prevent the device from sliding out of the food. U.S. Pat. No. 2,651,251 to Brown discloses a skewer for aiding in the cooking of a roast that has a unitary length of wire having a stiff shank portion that extends to a pointed end.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,890 to Perry discloses a skewer for holding a rolled roast having an elongated pin that is pointed at one end and pointed bars along the skewer lock so to maintain the skewer in place within a piece of meat. U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,141 to Schwartzstein discloses a heat transmitting device for conducting heat into the interior of a roast to aid in the rapid and more uniform cooking of the roast. U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,794 to Ulysse discloses a hand held utensil adapted to hold a vegetable such as a potato for peeling and comprises a handle and a taper rod like element that ends in a tip.
Accordingly, there is always a need for an improved device for skewing or anchoring food items. There also is a need for skewers that are cost effective and to hold food items securely. There is a further need for skewers that are simple and easy to use manufacture and use and perform their intended function without significant user interaction. The present invention is directed to these needs and others.